› added 10 years ago

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TIL that human poop and farts get their foul smell from the chemical compounds Skatole and Indole (among others). At low concentrations, these compounds smell flowery, and are used in perfumes. USA and Israel have used Skatole in crowd control sprays—the stench does not wash off skin for 3 days.

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a8kDo TIL of Oskar Speck, a German man who spent seven years kayaking from Europe to Australia. Unfortunately, Australia declared war on Germany shortly before his arrival, and he was arrested on suspicion of espionage as soon as he made landfall.
Xn1r TIL that life has existed on Earth for over 80% of its existence, and was present from nearly the moment the Earth cooled.
1ardX TIL: Swedes use the term 'Curling Parents' for overprotective parents who - as in the ice game - sweep out all trouble in front of their kids
69gR7 TIL Cats cannot taste Sweet! If they go after your ice cream the cat either likes the cool or the fat likely.
4kOOJ TIL about Project West Ford, a Cold War project done by MIT on behalf of the US military. It was an attempt to create an artificial ionosphere around the Earth by launching millions of copper needles into orbit.